They didn’t try to smuggle cocaine across the border, but they were driving a rental

U.S. Customs stopped a rental car at the Peach Arch border crossing in Blaine after it found a small amount of cocaine in a hidden compartment of a rental car. The drugs were unknown to the car’s driver. StaffThe Bellingham Herald file

U.S. Customs stopped a rental car at the Peach Arch border crossing in Blaine after it found a small amount of cocaine in a hidden compartment of a rental car. The drugs were unknown to the car’s driver. StaffThe Bellingham Herald file

Have you ever rented a car on vacation or a business trip and wondered who’d been in it before you? Maybe it was somebody famous, such as a favorite professional athlete, an actor or a member of a band you listened to as a kid.

Judging by the way the car handles, it more likely was driven by somebody testing their skills as a stunt driver by hopping curbs and stomping on the gas and brake pedals as hard as they could at every start and stop. Or did you get the car last driven by somebody with a bad case of B.O. or who spilled a Big Gulp all over the passenger seat?

Well, it turns out you may want to learn a little more about the driver before you as you prepare to take your next rental off the lot. You don’t want to end up being the next drug mule for a cartel or, as in an incident last weekend along the border in Blaine, end up holding the bag for somebody else’s idea of a good time.

Blaine Police were called to the Peace Arch point of entry at 3:55 p.m. Sunday for a report of drugs found in a vehicle attempting to enter the United States from Canada. An officer responded, investigated and determined there was a small amount of cocaine found in a hidden compartment of a rental car, according to a report about the incident.

Digital Access for only $0.99

After a thorough investigation, the officer and Blaine Police command staff determined the drugs were unknown to the driver or the passengers in the rental, and U.S. Customs confiscated the cocaine to properly destroy it.

“Nevertheless, don’t take for granted that a rental car has been properly cleaned before it’s sent back out for service,” Chief Allen Schubert said in a release. “Personally check every rental vehicle before driving it off the lot.”

Whatcom County has 5 border crossings into Canada, including one of the busiest in the U.S. If you're traveling to British Columbia, here's what you need to know.